Table of Contents

Preface. List of abbreviations. 1 Requesting and interpreting tests. 2 Disturbances of water, sodium and potassium balance. 3 Acid-base balance and oxygen transport. 4 Renal disease. 5 Disorders of calcium, phosphate and magnesium metabolism. 6 Diabetes mellitus and hypoglycaemia. 7 Disorders of the hypothalamus and pituitary. 8 Abnormalities of thyroid function. 9 Disorders of the adrenal cortex and medulla. 10 Investigation of gonadal function infertility, menstrual irregularities and hirsuitism. 11 Pregnancy and antenatal screening. 12 Cardiovascular disorders. 13 Liver disease. 14 Gastrointestinal tract disease. 15 Nutrition. 16 Trauma, inflammation, immunity and malignancy. 17 Disorders of iron and porphyrin metabolism. 18 Uric acid, gout and purine metabolism. 19 Central nervous system and cerebrospinal fluid. 20 Therapeutic drug monitoring and chemical toxicology. 21 Clinical biochemistry in paediatrics and geriatrics Self-assessment MCQs. Answers to MCQs. Appendix: Reference ranges - SI units and 'conventional' units. Index.

About the Author

Dr Geoff Beckett , Reader in Clinical Biochemistry at the University of Edinburgh Dr Simon Walker , Senior Lecturer in Clinical Biochemistry at the University of Edinburgh Dr Peter Rae, Consultant Clinical Biochemist, Western General Hospital, Edinburgh Dr Peter Ashby, Clinical Biochemist, Western General Hospital, Edinburgh